THE WINDOW
Bible-Teaching Ministry of
CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH
Thomasville, NC
a fellowship of faith, family and friendships
Dr. Russell Brownworth, pastor
July 11, 2004
Allow me to take your mind back 4 ½ years ago. Some (many) of you were sitting in the fellowship hall. Questions were being put to a man standing in the middle of the floor. He was from Florida; he was me.
One question was asked by John Hayes; I recall the words exactly.... John said, "If you come here as pastor, what plans do you have for us?"
I also recall my reply (exactly)...."I don’t have any. I don’t know you yet, and you don’t know me. When we get to know each other, God will begin to reveal Himself to us as to how we can serve Him as a body of believers. When (and if) we get that far....and if we are obedient to His voice and His revealed will...the plans will unfold. For the meantime, my "plans" are to study His word, pray, preach the basics of the faith and visit each of you to get the process started."
We have served together for nearly five years. Together we have had some successes and failures. There have been misunderstandings, ministry and mystery – times of high worship and times of low commitment.
We have seen some folks come into the Kingdom by faith in Jesus.
We had a great time presenting Bethlehem to our community one Christmas.
We have seen some folks leave; some to serve, some in a huff.
We have had some times of difficulty, as well as some real mountain-toppers!
In all, we’ve had the expected “ups and downs” of church life. There is definitely one thing that can be said of these last five years; all of it has produced strength in one way or another. The Word of God says that He is working all things together for good.
These past five years we have, I believe, come to know each other better. I also believe it is time for us to get down to the “brass tacks” of being committed to God’s purposes for the future of Cedar Lodge Baptist Church.
There are precious few things that touch my heart more profoundly than the desire to see this church in the very center of God’s will.
It is my heart’s conviction that a church is not…
· a building with a collection of pews
· a group of people who meet for social purposes
· a dinosaur with little or no relevant impact on life…
Rather the church is the body of the living Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, working daily to accomplish the will of the One True God.
Now, friends, that is a description of THE CHURCH; the evaluation of whether or not it is a description of this church is tied to one question – are we doing the will of God?
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matthew 7:21 (NASB)
The measure of being the church of God is a matter of doing the will of God! And to determine if you measure-up you must match your activities and heart’s direction with the Word of God. Consider these references to the will of God:
1. Jesus gave himself to the cross for our sins by the will of God (Gal 1:4)
2. In family life and business we are to live honorably and obediently by the will of God (Eph 6.1-6)
3. It is God’s will that we abstain from fornication (1 Thess 4:3)
4. It is God’s will that we practice thanksgiving (1 Thess 5:18)
5. God’s will is that we live our lives in an ethical and moral manner so that unbelievers will know it is better to serve God (He 2:15)
6. Jesus told us it was God’s will to help little ones come to Him (Mt 18:14)
7. Doing kindness, rather than just talking about it, is God’s will (Mt 21:31)
8. Jesus demonstrated in Gethsemane that God’s will comes first (Mt 26:39, John 5:30)
9. Jesus taught us our prayers ought to be subject to God’s will (Luke 11:2)
10. Paul told the believers in Corinth (2 Co 8:5) that if they really wanted to understand the Christian way of living, that they needed to watch the believers in Macedonia as they set the standard. They first gave themselves to God (in surrender), then gave themselves to the work under Paul’s direction…it was all by the will of God.
Now, if the Word of God stresses the will of God that strongly, the key for any church to be in the center of that will is found in how the Bible presents the nature and purpose of the church.
Most people have seen the Olympics on television. Cheering fans fill the stadium as athletes, dressed in colors representing their countries, toe the line for the start of their race. What would happen if the starting gun fired and all the runners bolted in different directions? How would any of them know who had won? How could they measure their performances? What if in post-race interviews they said, "Well I trained very hard, but I didn’t know the direction of the course." How meaningful would the race be?
Many times Christians are like that. We enthusiastically line up, ready to run the race God has set before us, and when the gun goes off, we may or may not point ourselves in the right direction. We think, "Well, I didn’t know the direction of the course." That excuse for us is as silly as it would be for an Olympian, mostly because both of us have the course clearly marked. Lanes define a runner’s path around a track and the Bible defines a Christian’s path through life.[1]
I want our text from God’s Word to guide our thoughts as we consider the vision of our church; the Word of God guiding us to know and do the will of God!
Even a modern proverb on wisdom will always mention King Solomon. He was David’s son, and he wrote much of the Proverbs, earning him the reputation of being the wisest man in history. Most of what he wrote was after living a not-so-wise existence of pursuing entertainment and pleasure. After a lifetime of that kind of pursuit here’s what Solomon had to say:
There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke.
The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 12:12 (TMWB)
Now, that is the essence of our text this morning; we are to do what God tells us:
18Where there is no vision, the people perish:
Proverbs 29:18a (KJV)
There are two very obvious words we need to “get a handle-on” today. Vision (äæˆç˜ khaw-zaw)is a primitive root in Hebrew. It means specifically to have a vision of:—behold, look, prophesy, provide, see.[2] “Vision” means we must “see”; we must see the “revelation of God” – vision—does not mean the ability to formulate goals and plans, but “God’s revelation”[3]
The other word, “perish” is (òø‡tÈ paw-rah’), and is another primitive root; to loosen;[4]. Loosen is the picture of untied shoelaces, marbles spilled over the kitchen table, kindergarteners let out for recess without a chaperone. This is the picture of “unrestrained” as some translations have the word “perish”. It means…no coming back…no order!
Without vision – without seeing the will of God, there is an unrestrained loss of direction and purpose. We become unglued.
I want us to “see” this morning. I want to cast a “glued-together” vision for our church.
I don’t want to present a new program, or study, or a few ideas that might work.
What I want you to see is what I see in my heart that God wants to do with us.
These are the major areas I believe God is calling us to invest our resources – time, talent, tithes – our lives, in order to bring glory to Him in Thomasville. It is how our church is to be obedient to the will of God by the Word of God.
The framework for our vision is found in the Book of Acts. It is the account of what happened following the Pentecost event when the church was born. Rick Warren has used this framework to describe the five functions of a New Testament church.[5] Those functions are: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism.
41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:41-47 (NASB)
The Five Functions of Our Church
1. Vision for our Church Includes WORSHIP
As you read the account of the first church you cannot miss the contagious excitement that early group felt. It was “first love”. There was a sense of awe, and a continuous spirit of praise.
Paul told the young pastor Timothy that some folks had “put away” their faith (1 Timothy 1:19), and it had caused “shipwreck”, a thorough mess of their spiritual lives. Someone sent me a picture that is worth a thousand words at this point, of a wrecked truck. The license plate on the front was a twisted one word: faith.
Worship is that which we need to keep our faith fresh and strong. Our church’s staff works hard every week to “assemble” the components of worship in a way that will be fresh and meaningful. However, without the enthusiasm of members for the worship service – planning, preaching and playing and singing doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
Our vision of a worshipping church should look like the kind of experience where the enthusiasm is so thick you can cut it.
Our friends and neighbors should be showing up because they just had to come see for themselves the awesome worship experience you’ve been telling them about.
Now, in order for you to not be lying when you tell them that, it will mean our worship experiences will have to have a high priority, and enthusiastic participation.
· When we sing, everyone should sing.
· When we pray, all should be heart-connected.
· When we give, there must be joy.
· When we’re through, there should be no doubt about it that God showed-up, and He (alone) received the glory!
The vision we see for our church includes meaningful worship, and…
2. Vision for our Church Includes FELLOWSHIP
In the Acts church they spent a lot of time together. There were meals, come-over-to-the-house gatherings, and generous sharing of possessions. Most of all there was a singleness of heart – the people genuinely loved being together. Some folks drag into church like it is a terribly burdensome duty, rather than a chance to be with family.
We do fellowship pretty well around here, but we need to be careful to not let it turn inward. Turning inward is when all of our attention is focused on the members – especially the ones we like. If you are happy with your Sunday School class, your group, there is a tendency to become content to the point of never seeing others’ needs. Beloved, that is the kind of group that never makes room gladly for newcomers. It’s impossible to grow when you look at newcomers as outsiders.
True fellowship isn’t always about doing what we enjoy most. Sometimes it means making sure everyone has a chance. Last Wednesday there was a prayer request for workers to staff the nursery during choir practice so that choir members with children could participate. It is difficult to hold a baby with one arm and a music score with the other, and at the same time trying to keep a pre-schooler corralled. You need some help from the “fellowship”.
Now, you know I don’t sing…and I am therefore not much use to the choir. So, after prayer meeting Wednesday I hauled myself down to the playground and played whiffle-ball with pre-schoolers to high-schoolers for 45 minutes. It wasn’t a big thing or a hard thing to do…but it helped.
· You could invite a newcomer for a cup of coffee
· You could send a note to a member you don’t know
· You could even take a turn in the nursery
It doesn’t have to be a big thing – it just has to consider the fellowship of our church, and be a positive gesture of grace.
The vision we see for our church includes meaningful worshipping, fellowshipping, and…
3. Vision for our Church Includes DISCIPLESHIP
To disciple someone is to teach him how to apply the Word of God to his life, so he can live the way God approves. In the Acts passage we see that the first church devoted themselves to learning doctrine. That means they placed a high priority on becoming disciples who were equipped to take on the culture of their day. We must also take that seriously.
Our culture is changing all the norms so rapidly. This week the Congress will debate the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment. How odd! In this country, founded on Biblical principles as “one nation, under God” I never thought there would be a need for a debate about what constitutes marriage. God was pretty clear about marriage when He created a man, and then made a woman to complete him, not another man!
The shame here is that even among evangelical Christians there is hesitancy to speak clearly on the issue. Our culture has made it uncomfortable for believers to stand and say that this is sin!
Now, that is to be expected because the culture hates Christ; what is not expected is that Christians care so much that they are uncomfortable. “Disciple” comes from the word “discipline”. When was that ever easy?
It is a no-brainer that our discipleship (Bible Study program) must be organized and given a very high priority to counter the toll of what popular culture is doing to the minds and worldview of even believers.
· We need to dig-in and learn with all diligence how to engage the culture in which we live.
· We need mature Christian mentors who will take others under the wing and show them how to excel for Christ.
And we have to do it with seriousness and excellence! We are in a war, and Sunday School classes that could pass for Rotary or Lions clubs are not going to prepare any of us to do battle in a fight for souls.
How can we raise the level of effectiveness for our Sunday School and Bible Study?
· We must first take it seriously. I do not mean we can’t have fun doing discipleship – but the main thrust here is not fellowship and fun – you don’t train warriors for tea parties.
· Starts with leadership…all leaders must consider themselves pastor to their classes. There must be study, visitation and outreach. A leader that begins late Saturday night or early Sunday morning to prepare a lesson is giving God less than his best. A leader that never contacts his class members is falling-down on 80% of his or her responsibility. Sunday School is not about teaching a lesson on Sunday morning; it is about touching a life for the Kingdom!
· Leaders ought to be willing to take a little extra time to attend planning meetings, and learning opportunities. The leader who has determined he knows enough, knows nothing!
· Continues with members of the classes…Each of us in a Sunday School class is responsible to know everyone else in that class. And we are to look out for each other. Take note when someone is absent. Get in touch, care for one another! Every class member ought to consider himself a class leader in training.
The vision we see for our church includes meaningful worshipping, fellowshipping, serious discipling and…
4. Vision for our Church Includes SERVING
Serving, or ministry has to do with the inward and outward look. Before the “Last Supper” Jesus Christ, the Lord of Hosts took a towel and basin and washed twelve pair of stinky, dusty feet. Having a servant heart is the means to hitting home runs in the Kingdom.
“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. Matthew 23:11 (TMNT)
How important is it that we become ministers to our community? In the Acts account we find that it was the church folks sharing what they had with the community that brought on many signs and wonders (miracles). It has always been the generosity of the church to give that has moved the heart of God to do the things we need to do, but think we can’t. When we step out in faith to do those things we think we can’t, God gives us the strength, the resources, or He just brings a miracle so the community will know it’s not us, but the Lord in us who loves them.
Chuck Colson has observed that when the Communists took over Russia in 1917, they did not make Christianity illegal. Their constitution, in fact, guaranteed freedom of religion. But they did make it illegal for the church to do any "good works."
The church wasn’t allowed to feed the hungry, educate the children, house the orphan, or care for the sick. What was the result? After 70 years, the church was largely irrelevant to the communities in which it dwelt.
Take away service and you take away the church’s power, influence, and evangelistic effectiveness. The power of the gospel is combining the life-changing message with selfless service.[6]
I have heard many times the sentence, “I don’t have a lot, but I will share what I do have.” My friend, that is exactly what God expects.
· “If just a cup of water I place within your hand, then just a cup of water is all that I’ll demand.”
· Remember the widow’s mite – she had less to give than anyone the day Jesus was watching at the temple treasury; yet her name was recorded in heaven as the most generous contributor that day!
The vision we see for our church includes meaningful worship, fellowship, serious discipling, ministering and…
5. Vision for our Church Includes EVANGELIZING
The church of the first century grew! Friends, that is a pattern with which we cannot argue. Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost. He commissioned us to share the Gospel to win souls.
The person who purposefully avoids this issue has not thought it through very well. Doing the will of the Father is the measure of whether we are living a life well-pleasing to Him. And the Father’s will is that we reach out to save those who are lost…
9The Lord is not…willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Many people claim to not be able to participate in reaching the lost. Friends, that is avoiding the issue. The Bible says the early church was in one accord. They had singleness of mind. Souls were being saved daily because everybody was on board for evangelism.
I hope Susan will forgive me, but I want to hold her up as an example today. You all know that Susan Lambeth is a sweet-spirited person. She is also mostly quiet. Wednesday evening, after prayer meeting, Susan handed me a list of three families she wants to see come to Christ, and our church. This is not the first list she has handed me.
Friend, this is evangelism! Don’t tell me you can’t love people enough to be do that. You may not be the mouthpiece, you may not be the Peter, but you can be the Andrew; you can be the one who helps evangelize.
We have five imperative parts of the vision for Cedar Lodge Baptist Church…worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. Of those, we get a passing grade on worship, fellowship and ministering to those in need.
In the areas of discipleship and evangelism we are way behind in the game. It is time for us to take these things seriously.
Evangelism is something we can begin immediately.
We can begin to visit regularly.
We can train to visit effectively.
We can do the Father’s will – if we want to.
Now, there are those who will disagree with this message, or the methods I suggest; that is their right. But, I want to ask, which part? Do you think some of us are exempt from worship? Guess again…the Bible declares that we are not to forsake worship…Jesus told us that worship and praise is what we’re created for – to ignore worship is to ignore God.
Are any exempt from fellowship? We need each other like positive needs negative, and like up needs down. We are brothers, born for strength in adversity – weeping with those who weep, rejoicing with those who win!
Are any exempt from discipleship? It’s funny how we pass laws to make sure children get at least a certain level of secular education, but think it’s optional for Bible Study and devotion to doctrine. Secular education will do it’s good for a career of 40 or 50 years; your spiritual education has to last a lot longer!
Are any exempt from serving? Only if you want to miss the greatest joy in life!
Are any exempt from evangelism? Are you serious? The Great Commission wasn’t given to the super disciples – it was given so every believer could please the Lord, and be part of the equation of bringing lost souls to Jesus. When Jesus told the Apostles to get out of the way and let the little children come to him, He was giving us a mandate to help them come to him. And the little children are the lost ones…not little children in age…those who are lost without a Heavenly Father.
Noah spent 140 years building an ark. All during that time he shared his vision of protection from the coming flood. He had no converts outside his own family. Yet he kept on building a cradle for that vision.
Nehemiah gathered the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the walls the enemy had broken down. He got grief from the unbelieving leaders who wanted him to be quiet and not stir up their enemies. Nehemiah kept on working with people who had a mind to work, and the massive walls around the city were rebuilt in only 52 days. The vision became reality.
Jesus once told about a man who possessed vision, but was too lazy or evil to use it for good. He was a lazy manager. When the owner of the business looked over the books he saw the laziness of that manager and told him he was fired, but had a few weeks to get things in order. The man used every trick in the book to make his free-fall into unemployment have a soft landing. He started using his vision, and good things started to happen.
When Jesus ended the story He said the children of light (believers) ought to be that diligent. I take that to mean, we ought not to be lazy or think that any part of this ministry belongs to us – it can be taken away in an instant by the owner.
Rather we all must look at where we are in serving Him and evaluate what He is telling us to do now! We must use our vision and see clearly where we fit in God’s plan for Cedar Lodge Baptist Church, and the Kingdom of God.
Eagles are known to have vision. An eagle can see up to five miles and often times are able to see well beyond normal sight. The eagle knows where it is going and determines how it is going to get there. While other birds migrate by instinct the eagle stays in its territory throughout the year, season after season.
The eagle is dependable and will hold its place in its territory. When a storm approaches, other birds fly in fear while the eagle is energized by the challenge of the storm. The eagle catches the wind and rises above the storm. The eagle glides through its territory during the storm and will only leave its post if it is badly hurt and must leave to repair its injuries.
I believe God is looking for men and women of vision "who can see" with their spiritual eyes and catch the wind of God’s Spirit. These men and women like the eagle are dependable, focused and fearless when it comes to their God given assignments.[7]
How’s your vision? Buzzards only look down at what is decaying; eagles look to the horizon. Do you see the revelation of God? Or are you unglued? Some years ago our church developed a mission statement, a purpose based upon mission and ministry. It’s time we started doing that in more than three of five purposes for the church.
It is time for us to commit to those areas we have ignored for so long. It is time for each of us to use our gifts to glorify God and not please ourselves.
· Do you know someone who is ignoring consistent worship, and thereby hurting the whole body here? Get busy this week contacting!
· Do you know someone who is ignoring the fellowship of this body, letting it fall apart bit by bit? Get busy this week exhorting!
· Do you know someone who is ignoring God’s call to disciple, train for the battle? Get busy this week enlisting!
· Do you know someone who is not developing as a servant? Get busy this week partnering with them to serve!
· Do you know someone who is lost? Get busy this week sharing your faith!
The Lord doesn’t expect you to do it all by yourself…but He does expect you to be headed in the right direction. Let the church say “Amen”.
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[1] James T. Draper, President, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, Facts & Trends, October 2003
[2] Strong, James (1822-1894), Strongs Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
[3] New Commentary on the Whole Bible: Old Testament Volume, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
[4] Ibid.
[5] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church
[6] Is Your Church a Good Neighbor?, a sermon by Eric Swanson on SermonCentral.com
[7] "Eagle Vision And Dependability" written by Christi Harken from Maple Grove, Minnesota, USA
